Tofu Kofta Curry

I’ve been incredibly busy these last few days as you may have guessed from my slower blogging schedule. As a result, I didn’t have a chance to share my Thanksgiving recipes with you, but I did want to post this one dish I made– and loved– as fast as I could.

I first stumbled upon this recipe on Sanjeev Kapoor’s Web site. I’ve written about this popular Indian chef before, and I am a huge fan of his recipes. I am also a huge fan of kofta curries– Indian-style vegetable balls (they look like meatballs but taste better) floating in a spicy, often creamy sauce. So when I saw the words “Soya malai kofta” among Kapoor recipes, I couldn’t wait for an occasion to make this delicious-sounding dish and Thanksgiving seemed perfect because the curry has a lovely, festive, orange color.

Since “malai” is cream, I left that out, of course, and substituted instead with some Silk soy creamer. You could leave the creamer out altogether and use more cashew paste instead.

I made a few other changes too, like adding kasoori methi to the koftas, so I am posting my version of the recipe below. You can find the original here.

¼ cup Bengal gram dal (chana dal). Cover with water and soak at least a couple of hours. Cook until the dal is tender and most of the water has evaporated. Using just enough water to keep the blender blades moving, grind to a puree.

2 potatoes, boiled and mashed

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp

garam masala powder

½ tsp cumin powder

1 tsp coriander powder

Salt to taste

4 tbsp cornstarch (cornflour)

2 tbsp kasoori methi, crushed between palms

Oil to deep fry.

For the curry:

1 large onion

1 tbsp garlic paste

1-inch piece of ginger, finely grated

½ tsp turmeric powder

12 cashews, soaked in water for about 30 minutes, then blended to a paste

1 cup tomato puree or crushed tomatoes

½ tsp

garam masala powder

½ tsp coriander powder

¼ tsp cumin powder

¼ tsp red chilli powder

¼ cup soy creamer

¼ cup chopped coriander leaves, for garnish

1 tbsp canola or other vegetable oil

Instructions

Make the kofta:

Heat the oil in a skillet or a kadhai (a small, Indian-style wok).

Mix all the ingredients together and shape into ¾-inch balls.

Deep fry, a few at a time, until each kofta turns golden-brown. Remove to a dish lined with paper towels and drain. Set aside.

Make the curry:

Heat the oil in a skillet.

Add the onions and saute until golden-brown.

Add the coriander, cumin, chilli and turmeric powders.

Immediately add the ginger and garlic and saute for a few seconds.

Add the cashewnut paste and cook, sauteing, for a couple of minutes.

Now add the tomato puree and cook, stirring often, until the oil surfaces.

Add 2 cups of water or vegetable stock, bring to a boil, then simmer until you have a fairly thick gravy, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Add the salt and garam masala. Stir everything well, then add the soy creamer and stir in. Turn off the heat.